Our first visitors

Oh, melancholy. This time, it creeps around at the departure of our first visitors, Gran and Uncle Allen. It was a chaotic, yet great 11 days.

We were so pleased to learn, after realizing we wouldn't be home for Christmas, that some family would be coming to us. It was so wonderful to have them here to share Christmas in Japan with. We started out the visit with a trip to Kyoto that involved a lot of trains and train stations, alot of walking, alot of map reading, heavy bags, crying/screaming kids, and rain, but also, a night in Tokyo, our first shinkansen ride (with a killer view of Fuji-always exciting for me), good food, Kyoto Imperial Palace, Nijo Castle, Gran's discovery of yakatori, new sights, and time together.

The next several days were spent preparing for and celebrating Christmas. I made a Christmas Eve dinner, which I think turned out well. It was a challenging task, having to orchestrated everything around a teeny, tiny oven. For this reason and others, we got one of Trips' gifts early. He left his gas grill at Claremont, so we got another and grilled some chicken for our Holiday meal, which, as we found out, is the traditional Christmas meal meat of choice in Japan. As a matter of fact, I read an article recently claiming that the reason for this choice of chicken at Christmas stems from a major marketing campaign here in Japan by none other than our hometown chain, Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Even though I was missing my family alot, I did a bunch of skyping and online chatting , and Christmas day was really, really nice. There were so many gifts for the girls to open that we actually stashed away a couple of Lacey's unopened presents for her birthday in Feb.! She was much more into the ad pamphlets and instruction booklets that came with the toys and, in sure Lacey fashion, the small and dangerous twisties and pieces that held her toys captive in their boxes. Later that day, we drove around and showed off a couple of the pretty spots around Hayama and had Christmas day dinner at a great Italian restaurant nearby on Zushi beach.

After Christmas, Allen took a couple of days to have his own solitary adventure in Tokyo and we continued to show Gran around Hayama and Yokosuka. We had some more good food and Trips and I actually got to go to a movie together, alone. Being so severely out of practice, we found ourselves at a loss for what else to do, out on the town, without the kids. We made our excuses, no dinner (Trips wasn't hungry), no walking around (I forgot my coat), no bars (one of us had to drive home), and decided to go rent a couple of movies and head back. We were home before Stella was even asleep, and not very well received. I think Gran and Stel were mutually disappointed that we interrupted their time alone. Maybe in another 5 months we'll get another shot at it.

Finally, our last full day together was spent in Kamakura, which is a short drive from our house. We saw two beautiful temples and had some great food, the common theme of the visit. We had the most authentic Japanese meal yet, for any of us. Shoes were removed and stashed in lockers and we sat on cushions on the tatami mat floor around a low table in a small upstairs room adorned with old, smoke stained Japanese decorations. We shared the one English menu and picked noodles, and rice, and Japanese potato pancakes that came to us uncooked. We threw our plates of goodies on the skillet in the middle of the table and helped each other cook lunch. Gran learned the word 'foku' Japanese for fork. We took them to the Daibutsu and visited the Hase Kannon, a beautiful, sprawling temple with lots to look at and cool views, which included another view of our neighborhood.

We are so thankful to Gran and Allen for making the trip here. We are sad about their departure 'cause we are going to miss them and miss having family around. Also, because we know they are heading back to Louisville, a place we are missing, and a part of us wants to go to. Stella actually did ask her dad if she could go back with them. I think we are going to have a devastated little girl on our hands as she was stuck to Gran like glue these last 11 days.

Trips and Stel just took them to the airport and the house seems really empty.

At least 4 new albums on our photo blog.

Lacey Josephine

At 10 months old, as of yesterday, Lacey has really been displaying alot of her own personality traits. We have a little person here. A little person, it occurred to me, that none of our loved ones really know. So, I wanted to introduce you to Lacey Josephine...


Smiles. This kid has a smile on her face most of the time - a smile that would melt even the grinchiest of hearts. It is so big and so meaningful. You can see all over her face and in her shining eyes that she is loving life so far. I'm yet to take a photo that truly captures it.

Those eyes. Big and blue.

Socializing. She's really good at engaging people. She will stare a hole through someone until they notice and then flash that smile.

Attention getter. The combination of all the aforementioned characteristics and qualities gets her so much attention! I rarely take her out without at least one or two Japanese nationals stopping to admire and talk to her.

Curious. 'Lacey the destroyer' is what I call her. She reeks havoc on the orderliness of this house. Her favorite pastime is getting into cabinets and dresser drawers and pulling everything out onto the floor. Even the tiniest foreign object left in her territory (the floor) will be discovered, thoroughly examined, and placed directly into her mouth (which I suppose is just another way babies examine).

Danger seeker. She seems to gravitate to the most dangerous thing around. If there is an uncovered plug, she's there. Small or dirty object on the floor, she's there. Something to fall off of, she's there.

Let's see - what else...

She claps alot when she is excited. She always has a foot propped up when she is in her highchair or stroller - very chill. She says 'mama' and 'dada'. She has recently discovered her own voice, especially the high pitched screams she can get out for no apparent reason. She just learned to crawl up the stairs. She has 3 teeth and more coming in. She has an amazing laugh and mostly laughs at her sister. I think she's going to be a 'hair doer' like her sister. Along with her big, bright smile, she also has this very coy, slight smile she can give that makes her seem so grown up.

Can't wait for everyone to meet her this summer.

Out and about

Yesterday the Joneses finally left the comforts of our immediate surroundings and got out and about in Japan a little. We took a successful journey to Nogeyama Zoo which included a train ride with 3 transfers. The previous day, we had finally found our way to Ikego, a base housing area that is a little bit closer to us than the main base. It was a great find, as Ikego has a mini-mart, stocking any essentials we may need plus some, a gas station, a cdc (childcare), a campground even, and, most important to this day, an incredibly convenient train station. The Jimmuji train station is practically built into Ikego housing with the new addition of a pedestrian bridge. We parked our car right in front of the station. With two children in tow, this is just an amazing convenience and practically unheard of around here. Even from the main base, there was a bit of a hike to the two stations closest by. On our first outing, Stel had almost had it by the time we even made it to the first station, which explains out hesitance to try again. But, now, things have changed!

So, after three successful transfers and a little walk, we made it to our destination, Nogeyama Zoo. This zoo required no admission fee, which probably explains the animals' surroundings - more cages than habitats. At least I hope that is the case and that not all of Japan's zoos are so, sad. It was more depressing than fun to see the big, beautiful tiger pacing back and forth in it's tiny cage.
Not only did Nogeyama zoo have big animals in small cages, but it also boasts the "Nakayoshi Hiroba", an area where zoo visitors can have hands on experience with guinea pigs, chicks, chickens, and mice. There were tables covered in tiny mice and guinea pigs waiting to pass from one child's hands to another, chickens running around freely (one of which who decided to jump up onto my leg unexpectedly), and tiny chicks hovering by their heating element desparately hoping not to be snatch up again. Animal rights activists be darned around here! Oh, and the highlight of the "Nakayoshi Hiroba", the Christmas mouse display in all of it's kitschy Japanese splendor. Look closely.
Check photo journal page for more pictures.

The Fishing Report

I apologize for the delay in my correspondence but I have been caught up with work and stuff….seems there was a problem with my TPS reports. This is a cleaner version than I would normally write, but I am putting it on the blog. Anyway two weeks ago on Veterans Day I participated in my first deep sea fishing trip since arriving in Japan….and it goes a little something like this………
To do this story justice I need to begin a day prior to the trip. I know that Japan is known as the Land of the Rising Sun, which I believe is an accurate nickname, however I would at this time like to officially make my submission known: Land of the Rising Sun and hellacious winds!!!! (Quick side note the wind here is like nothing I have ever witnessed, the other day I saw a huge marine riding a 1981 schwinn complete with the banana seat and wicker basket on the font. As if that wasn’t funny enough he had zip-tied a picture of the Wicked Witch of the West on the basket, I think he did this just so people knew what side of the rainbow he was from when one of the crazy wind gust sent is butt airborne.) Monday, 13 hours till cast off, I was monitoring the weather stations on the internet. I try to stick with Japanese ones they seem to be the more accurate and most of the time I can interpret the basics. One of the Japanese sites I was previewing had a picture of an animated angry cloud blowing a wave over the silhouette of a sail boat. Even though I don’t read or speak the language, I knew this can’t be good. I got the secretary to translate for me and sure enough it read small craft warning! I called the charter place and they said no big deal, they only stay in if the waves are 8 or over he predicted they were going to stay about 7. (Please note that I have NO idea what form of measurement 8 or 7 was he only communicated with numeric’s and did not follow either of the numerals with a quantitative definition.) So everything was a go and I knew I had better get some puke suppressant. Unfortunately you can’t purchase sea sick meds without a script on the Navy base, so I had to go out to the Japanese stores to find some. I knew this was not something that I could do alone so I did ask the Japanese teacher at school to write me out a message. The guy is kind of a joker and for a brief moment it crossed my mind he might be writing down that I need Viagra, now that would have made for a story.
I got my pills and was all set to go!!!
The morning of the trip I woke up and walked out to check the conditions. PERFECT spitting rain, 35 mile per hour wind and a base temp of 46. Typical opening day of duck season weather but not ideal for my shake down fishing run. Luckily I was prepared and like a Gailor I brought more outdoor cold weather stuff than I would ever need in Japan. And I wore it all out on that boat.
I report to our MUSTARD station behind Starbucks at o six hundred and meet the gang….well it is a total of 9 folks…4couples and me. Odd man out I rides with the organizers and one of the guides. They speak little English but more than I speak Japanese. I was wearing a FLW hooded sweat shirt and that sparked the conversation. I think they were telling me they liked it….or….that it would make it hard to swim when they threw me overboard. Everyone was smiling so I assumed the latter.
The trip was a 100 bucks US cash. That includes 6 hours of fishing and food and drinks. Well I soon discovered that included meals meant that we stopped at a 7/11 near the Marina and the guy gave each of us 1000 yen to buy stuff. I purchased two tall boy Sapporos and three granola bars. We drove another 30 min and ended up at the marina that is about 5 min from my house. I loaded my now one tall boy and 2 granola bars into my backpack and head out toward the pier. Our boat looked trust worthy…I could picture Ol’Samuel Clemens himself behind the wheel navigating her down the “old man” but I could NOT see that “junk” heading out in the swells I could see beyond the breaker wall.
Despite my apprehension we were soon under way. I soon learned that I was REALLY the odd man out, all the folks took cover in the cabin and I sat on port side listening to my audio books witnessing a spectacular view of Mount Fuji. It was cool! We ran with hammer down for about 45min. to reach the fishing grounds. I had no idea how far out we had gone, I lost sight of land 20 min. ago…..well that was until I stood up and saw that huge cliffs were about 150 yards off the starboard. Not only were we REAL close to land we were also in a parking lot of boats. There were people everywhere!!!! This was not western KY stuff were the Coot is cussing everyone, people were glad to see another boat…bringing the total to about 53.
Turns out that most everyone fishes the same way, that is, by baiting their hook with TINY shrimp and loading up a “CHUM WEIGHT”…that’s right a chum weight. It is a plastic tube that you fill with a ton of shrimp guts and other smelly stuff. The way you fish is you drop your bait to the bottom, reel up three feet, and then weight 5 min. If no bite, reel up and re-bait and fill the chum weight. (I included pictures on photo section of the blog: http://allthingsjones.shutterfly.com/487 ) I am NO expert on the Pacific Ring of Fire, but there is a serious drop off the coast of Japan. About 200 yards of the shore, it was over 100 feet deep. Turns out that the chum weights are the key, tons of boats, tons of chum…and it brings the fish. We caught mostly tuna! And it was as soon as it hit the bottom. I was giving my fish to the crew so I got some SPECIAL treatment; meaning they netted fish for me, fed me beer and noodles. Every time I dropped it down I had either a fish or a bite…that is until I got hooked into a big one that broke my line (they don’t use wire liters), since I was fishing for the crew they decided to set me up with a multiple hook rig….BIG MISTAKE….first drop down I bring it up and that rig is wrapped tighter than a double helix. Took the guys about a 40 min. to get me back on the fish.
Crew was cool. When I first laid eyes on them I thought I was witnessing an Asian “Black and Mild” commercial. Deckhands and the captain were all smoking the mini cigars. I ended up landing around 11 keepers and missing twice that. By fishing for the crew, I did kind of screw myself, my fish were not included in the competition, and so I think I missed winning a foldable chair….guess I will just have to stand from now on.
Overall it was a GREAT time, but I sure missed sharing it with someone. Fishing in Japan with a view of Mt. Fuji and WWII anti-air craft gun turrets was too great to do alone. I was having fun but I was really lonely. I did finish an audio book and tried to B.S. with guys that did not speak my language. I have always been lucky enough to have great buddies to experience things with….well I sure miss you guys now! In closing, I never puked, caught fish, and did not get thrown overboard!!! I rate it a success. If anyone wants to come visit the fishing trip is on me. I am sure there is some stuff out there that will need two barrels. I plan on doing more surf fishing for the next couple months. Jones OUT!!! Shoot’em in the Face!

Under the Chestnut Tree

Transliteration – Rōmaji (Romanji)

Ooki na kuri no ki no shita de

anata to watashi

naka yoku asobimashou

ooki na kuri no ki no shita de.

Under the big chestnut tree

You and me

are playing happily

Under the big chestnut tree

So, I was corresponding with my friend, Missy L., through email and I got started on this subject and it gave good inspiration for a blog entry. Moving to a place where I don't know a soul, where I have laying ahead of me the task of meeting new people and making new friends (which, for a former very shy little girl, can be extremely frightening), where distance separates me from those I know the best, has made me contemplate the idea of friendship. In Louisville, and even just a little beyond (KY Lake, Big M. in Vegas and Kendall in Atlanta, etc.), we have a group of friends that I consider to be something very special. The roots of these friendships stretch so deep. They were created by aquaintance and made stronger by time. It is an enormous network (facebook has the evidence). We have so many people available to us to share in our celebrations and to give us support when we need it.
So, being that nearly all of my friendships have shared aquaintance or time in it's DNA, I wonder, is it possible to establish new friendships in a place and atmosphere where time and frames of reference are not an option? Most of the people we have and will meet here have a connection to the Naval base. I think the language barrier will keep us from establishing bonds with alot of Japanese nationals. Because of this, the people you meet will come and go so often. I have already met several people who I really enjoy being around, but most of these budding friendships are already threatened by departure dates. Also, we have no established friendships here, so there is no one to vouch for the authenticity or sincerity of the people that we do meet (this is what I mean by frame of reference). I wonder if there will be anyone here in Japan that we could really depend on if there were to come an occasion when we needed someone closeby. I wonder, where is the line between aquaintance and friendship - between friendliness and loyalty? Sometimes you wonder if the next thing out of your mouth will be the thing that changes someone's opinion of you. As I told Missy, I am missing the people who already know me and accept me for who I am, regardless of our differences. I am missing those people I can say anything in front of and not worry about judgement because our bond is already established. I am missing sharing the motherhood years with the girls I once partied and got crazy with! A girl I met here (with whom I've shared some fun shopping trips), who has traveled the world, says she characterizes a friend as someone you enjoy spending time with. That sounds good to me. I will just enjoy the people I meet and those who make our days here in Japan fun and memorable. We have been fortunate to have crossed paths with many helpful people so far. I will just appreciate this. Thank you to those folks. And if a lasting friendship or two does develop, all the better. This is just a new experience for me and has led me to all of this contemplation.
Emailing, skyping, chatting,...facebooking?...have been incredible tools to help feed our emotional needs, our connections to those we love. I am so thankful for this technology! Thank you to all of the people back home who have stayed in contact with us. For me, there are a special few of you who have been rocks - thanks Carlye (you rock, my rock!), Randy, Michael, Gran, Corey Lee & Chelsea, Missy, Hope, Lesley, Leigh. I know alot more of you are keeping up with us by reading this blog. It is just so nice to read some of your words and thoughts.
To all of our friends, I say, thank you. This distance has given us an even greater appreciation for what we have in you.